


The Moon Will Sing

by TidbitsAndThoughts



Series: Song Fic Stories [10]
Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Emotional Abuse, Needles, Physical Abuse, Stitches, blood mention, everything else after is pretty mild, let me know if I need to tag anything else, please be careful the first italics has the sewing the lips shut scene, same scene referenced before
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26376025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TidbitsAndThoughts/pseuds/TidbitsAndThoughts
Summary: Snatcher and Hattie are determined to break Moonjumper out of the moon prison but Moonjumper is desperate to keep them from Vanessa's clutches. A confrontation happens but... maybe Moonjumper can finally leave the prison for good.This song fic is based on the song "The Moon Will Sing" by The Crane Wives! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwhec-xnWfY Please enjoy and let me know what you think!
Series: Song Fic Stories [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1884079
Comments: 9
Kudos: 65





	The Moon Will Sing

_The forbidden curse was forged by crimson strings spun from blood. It was meant to trap a soul in a place it could never leave. Luka had read about it, once, when he lazily picked up a book about ancient magic in some down time. Who had created it? He had wondered, sleepy eyes slipping shut in the nursery room’s chair while Hattie dreamed nearby. Who would be so dangerous their soul need be captive in a white void sewn with scarlet strings?_

_When Vanessa had plunged her claws into his chest as he was chained in the cellar, he did not think to connect it to the curse. He could only think about the pain as his heart was torn into two. A soul split as it resisted capture._

_Her red-coated hand withdrew, and Luka lost his breath. The two soul fragments drifted further apart, one coating itself in shadows while the other became wrapped in thread. The shadow soul dropped, and the tethered soul remained, chained to the wall._

_The threads around the soul grew. They slipped through his limp body and broke the cuffs chaining him to the wall. His body dropped like a rag doll. Vanessa returned as threads wrapped around his wrists and neck. The covered soul sensed cold and felt his body move._

_He opened his eyes to find himself in an aching body in the moon prison._

_“Awake, **my prince**?” Vanessa’s haggard voice sent a shiver down his spine. _

_“Va-vanessa,” the tethered soul whispered, confused that he had once again opened his eyes. He tried to pull his arms down, but found they were chained to a new place. Wincing, he glanced around, taking in the blank white walls before meeting the star-shaped eyes of his once beloved. Vanessa’s shadow body hobbled closer with a needle and thread in her hands._

_“Comfortable?” She cooed, standing in front of him and pressing a hand over his chest._

_“Vanessa,” the tethered soul of Luka pleaded, “you don’t have to do this. Please. We could have been a happy family.”_

_“You **never** loved me,” Vanessa spat. “Not like **the child** I gave you and certainly not like the **tramp you were holding hands with**.”_

_“Don’t,” he breathed, having just enough energy to furrow his brows. “Do_ not _call her that. I was buying those flowers for you. And Hattie—we both_ loved _you, Vanessa. We both wanted to be a family with you.”_

_“I **don’t want** to hear any more lies,” Vanessa hissed, threading the crimson string through the needle. “All you’ve ever told me were **lies** while you sang sweet songs to **the child**.” _

_“I sang for you!” Sonnets. Ballads. He had written a song for their wedding, notes of melodies for her while he was away studying, or scribbles on napkins while they ate breakfasts together. Didn’t those matter?_

_“It matters **not** ,” Vanessa seemed to answer his thoughts as she lifted the needle and gently cupped his chin. “Because I’m going to **ensure** you **never** give your words or songs to anyone **again**.”_

_“Wha—” the tethered prince started before a silver needle pierced his lip. He screamed, kicking his legs in defense. He had shoved a worn boot into Vanessa’s core and her eyes flashed with anger._

_Dropping the needle so it and the thread hung from the bleeding puncture in his lip, Vanessa grabbed his legs with claws and ice spread across his skin._

_“St-stop!” He cried, his lip throbbing as tears burned in his eyes. “Vanessa, please!”_

_She did not listen. Instead, he lost all feeling in his legs as ice seeped into his skin, freezing them solid. Once he could no longer move any of his limbs, she reached for his chin._

_“Don’t do this.” Luka’s voice cracked as he tried to turn away, clenching his fists as he pressed his back against the wall._

_“This is the **choice you made** when you **failed to love me** ,” Vanessa spat in a chilling voice. She clutched his chin and tears streamed down his cold cheeks. _

_She threaded the needle through frostbitten lips. His blood was indistinguishable from the string._

_After the job was done, and Vanessa returned to her manor for the night, the tethered prince tried to open his mouth a few times, only to cause the edges of fibers to cut further into his flesh. He tried humming to calm himself down, but the soft vibration of the lullaby he wrote grated his lips against the thread. Even when he sobbed, his lips hurt, and he had to redirect pained breaths through his nostrils._

_Thinking back to the love he had once shared with Vanessa, he never would have guessed where it might have led._

_He ached._

Moonjumper stared at the ground below him as Snatcher and Hattie took in his features. Shame knotted in the pit of his stomach.

“Does it hurt?” Hattie’s bare whisper broke the silence. Looking up, Moonjumper tried to offer a comforting smile but the threads rubbed flesh raw with the stretching of his lips. He winced. Hattie’s eyes widened.

“Okay, enough traumatizing the kid,” Snatcher slipped his tail forward and covered Hattie’s eyes, tugging her back.

Hattie let out an annoyed “oof” before pushing back at his tail.

Moonjumper dipped his head in apology, holding Snatcher’s hard gaze. Something swam in the shadow’s eyes but Moonjumper couldn’t quite place it. Pity? Fear? He supposed that, out of the two of them, he looked the most like their shared self. It couldn’t be easy for Snatcher to confront a fate that was nearly his own and would have been should Vanessa have been successful in trapping the prince without severing his soul.

Before long, Snatcher’s features shifted into a scowl and he arched his back, the mane around his neck puffing out as he made himself look bigger.

“I recognize the curse,” Snatcher growled. “Let me guess, little miss shadow queen chained you here.” Leaning back, he crossed his arms, his tail still flickering over Hattie’s features as she wrestled to get away. “A terrible place, this moon prison. So why, pray tell, did you bring us here?” He tilted his head, his smile wide and dangerous.

Moonjumper flinched back. He couldn’t explain how he hadn’t meant to. He wasn’t even sure where the red thread had come from. Shoulders slumping, he waved one of his chained hands toward the glass looking out, where the purple thread wrapped around Hattie led back to the forest. He just hoped they could forgive him.

“No!” Hattie pushed Snatcher’s tail down and huffed. “We’re going to help!” She stuck her tongue out at Snatcher before demanding, “If you know the curse what is it? What is this place?”

“A curse that was forbidden.” Snatcher let his tail droop away from her face, though it stayed between her and Moonjumper. “It required that the caster weave threads from their own blood to lock away a prisoner in the moon permanently.”

“How do you break the curse?”

“Got wax in your ears, Kiddo?” Snatcher asked. “Permanent. Contractually binding. There is no way.”

“But,” Hattie glanced worriedly towards Moonjumper, “he’s left before.”

Both Snatcher and Moonjumper paused at that.

Furrowing his brows, Moonjumper considered all the times he had left. He had remained chained, so he hadn’t thought of it as true freedom, but what was the point of a prison that didn’t keep a criminal as restricted as possible?

“And,” Snatcher added, his pitch rising curiously, “you were the only one to see him, Kiddo.”

Moonjumper nodded.

“Does that mean I can try to break the threads?” Hattie’s eyes lit up albeit mischievously so. She pulled out her umbrella excitedly.

“Shoot your shot.” Snatcher clasped his hands together, smiling wickedly.

Moonjumper pressed further against the wall, watching as she walked over to his arm. Moving his wrist out as far as he could, He gave her an inch or so of taut string to try and cut. She raised her umbrella and brought the tip down against the thread as hard as she could. The yarn yanked his wrist back into the wall as the umbrella slipped off the unyielding yarn from the momentum. Moonjumper winced.

Hattie pouted and, wanting to dispel her disappointment, Moonjumper wiggled his hand, reaching his fingers toward her. Tilting her head at the gesture, she slowly lifted her hand up to his and he gave her hand a grateful squeeze. She looked slightly startled before smiling sadly.

“Snatcher!” She called, motioning to the thread with her umbrella, “Try your magic!”

“Fine,” Snatcher slunk over, he separated the two by using a large talon to brush Hattie away before taking Moonjumper’s hand and pulling it away from the wall. “Hmm.” Snatcher narrowed his eyes, glancing towards Moonjumper’s frostbitten fingers. Snatcher turned his attention onto the string, but Moonjumper suddenly felt a pulse of warmth emanate from the shadow’s talons. His chest tightened from the small kindness.

In his other hand, Snatcher summoned a small blue flame and gingerly brought it down to the taut string keeping Moonjumper trapped. The blue embers licked the thread, but it didn’t burn. Frowning, Snatcher arched his back as he shifted his angle. The blue flame become hotter and sharper as it flickered, but the thread remained unmarked by cinders. Snuffing out the light, Snatcher drew a claw and in one fluid motion he yanked at the string. Moonjumper’s wrist slammed back into the wall as Snatcher’s claw slipped off the sturdy yarn.

“The threads appear unbreakable,” Snatcher muttered, tugging curiously on the string a few times. “When you left, what happened to the threads?”

“They were still around him,” Hattie chimed in. “And they pulled him back, right?” She glanced at Moonjumper.

He nodded.

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Snatcher tapped his chin. “Only the person who cast the curse can control the threads. Has—” he began but was swiftly cut off by a horrible cackle followed by a chill.

Hattie nearly jumped out of her skin and Snatcher stiffened.

Moonjumper panicked as he recognized the signs of Vanessa’s return. Horrified at what she might do to his family if she saw them, crimson strings shot from his palms and nudged Snatcher and Hattie towards the exit.

“No!” Hattie jumped over his string and darted to his side. “I can’t let her hurt you anymore!”

“The brat has a point, which is why she’s going back, and I’ll stay,” Snatcher warned in a sharp tone as he used his tail to move her towards the exit.

“The last time you faced her, you froze.” Hattie scowled.

Bristling, Snatcher opened his mouth to retort but before he could the shadow queen entered the room.

“ **Who’s there?** ” Vanessa’s wicked screech grated on Moonjumper’s ears. “ **What** are you doing to **my prince**?”

Snatcher plucked Hattie up and out of the way as a blast of ice shot towards her. Moonjumper’s heart drummed as the cold narrowly missed Hattie’s legs. He puffed out his chest, trying to pull away from the wall but the strings held his neck and wrists back.

“Your prince has died long ago!” Snatcher hissed, placing Hattie next to Moonjumper before diving at the flickering shadow with blazing red eyes. “He no longer belongs to you!”

Vanessa held out a hand glimmering with snowflakes, aiming for Snatcher, but his shadowy form grew until it covered their fight, causing Hattie to gasp and Moonjumper to jerk helplessly against his chains.

Why? Why couldn’t he break free? Why didn’t Snatcher and Hattie leave? Moonjumper had made his bed with apathy, knowing his situation could never change. Or, as much as he could. Was it his fault then? Did he allow too much hope for something else and this was his punishment? Could he only watch as Vanessa took his family from him again?

Did he deserve it? The threads tightened around his wrists as that thought tightened around his chest.

Ice blasts shot from the shifting shadow before the dark revealed Vanessa helplessly thrusting shards into a cardboard cut out as Snatcher curled around her and blasted her with a blue flame, knocking her over.

The shadow with red eyes screeched out in pain and the shadow towering over her hesitated, recoiling slightly. Vanessa pushed herself up with a hand glittering with ice, gasping pitifully. Crocodile tears fell like snowflakes. Snatcher curled over her, golden smile wavering.

“No!” Hattie lunged forward, umbrella at the ready, as Vanessa whirled around, her claws pointed at Snatcher’s chest. Snatcher startled the same moment that Hattie slammed the umbrella against Vanessa’s arm, causing the magical blast to miss Snatcher and cover a wall in frost.

“How **dare** you interfere?” Vanessa cried, scrambling to her feet and lunging towards Hattie, frosty claws grasping for her neck.

“Just leave them alone!” Hattie stuck out her tongue, jumping to the side when Vanessa lunged. “Papa loved you and this is how you treat him?”

“ ** _Papa_**?” Vanessa’s star-shaped eyes narrowed like lightning.

Moonjumper’s eyes widened in terror. Snatcher summoned a blue flame in hand, slowly slinking towards Hattie.

“I **_see_**.” Vanessa cackled with a laugh that sounded like splintering ice. “I _knew_ you’d try to **steal** him from me. Hateful, **child**! He was **_mine_**!” A swirl of snowflakes flew up around her, each one shifting into a sharp dagger that each pointed at Hattie.

“Don’t lay a claw on her!” Snatcher flew between Hattie and Vanessa, waving the flame in front of himself to create a barrier. The ice daggers soared into the wall of flame before hissing and becoming steam. The flame barrier disappeared, and Vanessa thrust a bolt of blue ice forward, Snatcher barely reacted in time to catch the ice between his talons. His flames licked the hissing ice, but Vanessa’s magic surged. There was a clap as the magic blew them apart. Snatcher slammed into the opposite wall before tumbling to the floor. Vanessa slid back but remained on her feet.

“Dad!” Hattie ran over to Snatcher, who gripped the ground with trembling talons.

“Kid,” Snatcher hissed weakly. “You have to run.”

No.

“ **No one** will **ever** take **my prince** from me, **again**!” Vanessa’s high-pitched voice screamed as she summoned snowflakes around her claws. “I’ll freeze **you two into icicles** I’ll have no qualms **shattering**!”

No. Please.

Vanessa lunged towards the two. Hattie pushed open the umbrella to use it as a shield as she put a protective arm around Snatcher’s mane. Her hand gripped his soft tufts.

_No._

Moonjumper threw his hand forward and a string flew. The crimson thread wrapped around Vanessa’s wrist and yanked her back, causing a shaft of ice to explode on the ceiling.

Vanessa looked over her shoulder, her eyes burning with rage.

“How dare **you**?” She sulked towards him, her shadow appearing large despite her hunched figure.

Moonjumper willed the string above her, restricting her movement as her wrist was pulled up.

“ **Luka** ,” Vanessa snarled and Moonjumper withheld his shiver. “ ** _Let go_**.”

Ah.

Moonjumper felt those words rattle around in his chest. How often he had begged her to do the same while his body faded in that cellar. How he wished she would let go when she squeezed his heart and split him apart. How ironic, he realized, that for centuries, for his entire life and afterlife with her, she did everything in her power to force him to hold onto her.

“Papa,” Hattie’s small voice whispered. Moonjumper glanced towards her quickly, not wanting to remove his attention from his weak hold on Vanessa for too long. Hattie lifted her hand above the umbrella and pointed to her wrist and then him. He followed her gaze.

His right hand was free.

The string that once tethered him was wrapped around Vanessa’s wrist, which she was clawing at as she glared at him.

He blinked, something in him swelling.

_He loved her. No matter the shadows under his eyes from weariness, no matter the dismay that came with arguments and disagreements, he loved Vanessa. So much so that when Tim agreed to watch Hattie while Vanessa was meeting with the school children, Luka spent his free time buying flowers for his princess._

_Relishing being outside again, he drank in the sun. It felt good to wave to fresh faces, having been busy tending to Hattie or Vanessa inside for so long. Not that he minded, of course. His girls needed him, though… his one year old seemed to have less separational anxiety than his wife. No, he shook his head. It wasn’t gentlemanly to think so poorly of Vanessa. She was stressed, running Subcon, and they barely had time to just sit with each other and dote on one another like back in their early days of courting._

_He missed it. He really did. Because he loved her like he loved the sun. Vanessa was bright, her laugh infectious. They had fun together. Though a not wholly pleasant memory, she had teased him fondly when she had given him a haircut. She gushed over the songs he had written for her and loved listening to him play piano and sing._

_He missed it but surely, they could recapture such gentle times again? Maybe they could have a family picnic and maybe Vanessa would permit him to indulge in his favorite foods. He was currently drafting a song for both Vanessa and Hattie, a precious song about the sun, the moon, and the stars. How heavenly his darling family. How he longed to kindly shine for them._

_Primrose greeted him with a smile and the perfume of baby’s breath and violets soothed his heart. It felt so good, so good, to be outside and in the village. He had forgotten so many simple joys, like listening to Prim complain about Alex getting into trouble for breaking a neighbor’s window in a game. Luka couldn’t stop grinning and Prim had whapped him lightly with paper to wrap flowers, telling him it was rude to laugh at her misfortune, though she smirked herself. He apologized but could only chuckle, thrilled by the mostly harmless tale and knowing how, despite their antics, Alex’s sister loved them very much._

_With the wrapped flowers in hand, Prim reached over to grab the golden coin he had procured to pay. Their hands clasped and Luka felt so happy to chat with a friend. A cry came from the alley as their hands parted and Luka glanced over curiously. He spotted a flash of green._

_What was that?_

_Prim passed him the flowers and he held them to his chest, the cry forgotten as he inhaled the flowers. They smelled so sweet. With a promise to visit more often, knowing he needed to get out more if the euphoria of seeing new faces was any indication, Luka bid Prim goodbye. She waved kindly, long red braid swaying with her movement._

_He walked back to the manor, unaware of what was to come._

A lump formed in his throat. The thread had squeezed his skin for so long and now it was gone. His blue wrist had indents and a couple scars and cuts from the yarn and the metal chains that lingered from the cellar still remained, but his wrist was _free_.

“ **Let me go**!” Vanessa screeched, digging her claws under the thread and yanking. Snowflakes sparking from her free hand like sparks, she aimed another blast back at Hattie and Snatcher, who was just pushing up on trembling arms. Snatcher saw the blue flash and quickly dove over Hattie while Moonjumper reached out.

The thread on his other wrist shot to Vanessa and seized her hand, yanking it away from Hattie and Snatcher. With both of his arms now free, Moonjumper pulled the strings holding Vanessa up, forcing her hands to dangle helplessly as she stood on the floor.

“My prince! They want to **separate us** , don’t you see?” Vanessa hissed, kicking as she tried to pull away from the threads. “ **You’re supposed** to be ** _mine_**!”

Moonjumper stared at Vanessa with steady features, though he felt the ache in his chest, watching her struggle. They could have had anything. They could have been a happy family with darling Hattie and the forest could have remained alive and green. Prim and Alex… all of the Subcon children… could have grown up and lived. But that was not what Vanessa chose.

She chose to hoard him in chains. She chose to abandon Hattie and the kingdom. She chose to wallow in obsessive jealousy.

Moonjumper would choose to keep his family free.

This time, he consciously unraveled the thread around his neck, and he dropped from the wall. The thread wrapped around Vanessa’s waist and pulled her back, pinning her to the wall. The shadow creature hissed and spat and screamed as she writhed against the prison she created with a curse.

“You’re **making** a **mistake** ,” she howled, her voice shifting angrily like her form.

Moonjumper ignored her, floating quickly over to Hattie and Snatcher as Snatcher released his protective hold on Hattie.

“Papa!” Hattie leaped towards Moonjumper and he automatically caught her in his arms. He startled slightly as she wrapped her arms around him and leaned against his shoulder. The lump in his throat became unbearable and a familiar burning in his eyes overwhelmed him.

“Not too bad,” Snatcher leaned back, bringing a hand to his chest as he held Moonjumper’s gaze with a smirk. “But you could have looked cooler.”

Oops, there go the tears. Moonjumper lifted a hand to his face quickly, trying to wipe away the tears streaming down his cheeks as he readjusted his hold on Hattie.

“ **Let me go**!” Vanessa continued to scream in the background.

“Come on,” Snatcher gently pushed Moonjumper towards the exit. “I can’t think clearly with all that howling.”

Moonjumper hovered nervously at the glass looking out over the forest. Hattie tapped his wet cheek and he looked down to find his mask being offered.

“Would you feel better with it on?”

Moonjumper nodded and tilted his head so she could tie the mask around his face. She was careful not to catch a lock of his hair in the ribbon. Feeling safer with his tears hidden, Moonjumper nodded towards Snatcher.

Snatcher grabbed onto his shoulders and Moonjumper held Hattie tightly as she tugged on the purple yarn tethering them home.

Together, they jumped from the moon.

Waiting at the base of the shattered time piece, Prim and a smaller subconite waited for them.

“Boss—” the smaller subconite began, before looking at Moonjumper, “—wait, who’s that?”

“You can see him?” Hattie leaned forward as Moonjumper startled.

“Moonjumper.” Snatcher patted Moonjumper’s back as he introduced him. “He’s part of the village now. If any of you mess with him, be sure to invite me. Now, what did you want?”

“The frozen village by the manor is melting,” Prim informed.

Silence stretched out before Snatcher stretched into the air.

“You’re not joking right?” He grinned widely, twisting his body as he bent over backwards to boop the glowing light that was Prim’s soul. “Because if I find out you’re lying, Prim, I will not hesitate to assign you to outhouse duties.”

“I’m not lying,” she huffed before adding with a tilt of her head, “wait did you just call me—”

“Moonboy, I think your stunt with the shadow queen just gave me the opportunity I’ve been waiting for!” Snatcher swiftly turned, ignoring Prim’s light flicker a little brighter like she just had an epiphany.

Moonjumper raised a questioning hand as Snatcher pointed himself in direction of the manor.

“I’m going to melt the snow,” he explained before pausing. “Are you coming, Moonboy?”

Moonjumper nodded, his chest swelling with hope as he gingerly let Hattie down.

“Wait, I want to come too!” Hattie insisted.

“Sorry, Kiddo,” Snatcher called, “but this isn’t something you need to worry about. Prim. Alex. Watch her for us.”

“What?” Hattie stomped her feet in frustration. Moonjumper reached down and gave her hand a squeeze before floating after Snatcher.

“Don’t worry, Hattie,” Snatcher said, gentler this time, “we’ll be safe.”

Hattie crossed her arms, still unhappy.

“I may not remember them well, but they’re my family too.” Her whisper broke Moonjumper’s heart.

“Ugh, stop with the puppy dog eyes,” Snatcher groaned, floating over and plucking her up. “You know blue is my one weakness.”

Hattie grinned and Moonjumper shook his head smiling despite the pain it brought.

“Change of plans, Prim,” Snatcher said as he slunk through the air. “Meet me back at the village.” Prim nodded, taking Alex’s hand in hers before heading back to the subconite village.

Moonjumper followed Snatcher back to the manor. The frozen land across the crumbled bridge did seem to be warming. Drops of water slid down icicles and patches of earth pushed through thinner mounds of snow. Snatcher’s arrival seemed to speed up the melting.

“Do me a favor, you two,” Snatcher said quietly as they neared the manor. “If I start to use too much power, stop me.”

“Duh!” Hattie poked his mane.

Moonjumper nodded. He promised.

Snatcher’s large grin shined.

Outside the manor, Snatcher gingerly set Hattie down by the frozen lake before summoning a large blue flame. Moonjumper and Hattie stood back while warmth spread through the area. Steam rose as snow gave way to grass and the manor creaked as icicles dropped onto the wooden porch. A glint of sweat appeared on Snatcher’s brow and Moonjumper sent up a scarlet thread that laced around Snatcher’s chest. The fire grew stronger and Moonjumper winced.

A gentle hand slipped into his. He glanced down, watching as Hattie gave his hand a squeeze. He felt himself calm as he continued giving Snatcher the power he needed.

The strong fire grew steady.

Eternal winter gave way to spring. The lake water sloshed quietly. And spirits floated from the house.

Hattie gasped and tears welled up in Moonjumper’s eyes as the souls of his friends escaped the manor after centuries in limbo. The spirits all wore masks with patterns, and they flew over to Snatcher, like moths to a warm flame.

“If you aren’t ready to move on,” Snatcher said softly to the group, “then there’s a village just that way. You will be welcomed.”

A few spirits nodded, immediately going to investigate the village. A bronze one with a wrench on his mask curled his tail around Snatcher’s talon in a handshake before fading on the wind. A blue one with an hourglass on his mask glanced down at Moonjumper and then Hattie.

The dweller snaked down and floated in front of Hattie, the blue lights in his mask glittering kindly.

“Hello!” Hattie beamed, reaching out a hand to the dweller. The dweller wrapped his tail around her arm and pressed its mask to her forehead. “It’s nice to meet you!” Hattie added with a giggle.

The dweller nodded, his light dimming a little sadly, but he soon shined happily again and gave her arm a squeeze. The dweller then backed away and gave Moonjumper a bow. Snatcher floated down to join them; his flame gone.

“I’m sorry.” Snatcher reached down and the dweller coiled in his palm. “And thank you.”

The dweller nodded, giving Snatcher’s talon a squeeze too before his form started to fade. The dweller gave them all one last gentle look. Moonjumper blinked as the image of an all-knowing smile he had not seen in ages flickered to the forefront of his mind. While the spirit faded, Moonjumper finally recognized who the dweller had been.

A tear slipped down his cheek as Tim’s spirit passed on, leaving behind a glitter of blue light on the warm breeze.

Hattie’s hand in his tightened. He rubbed the tear away before bending down to pick her up. She clung to him with a sadness in her pensive features.

“Well,” Snatcher clasped his hands together. “I have some contracts to make. What will you do?”

“Are all of the souls freed?” Hattie asked, glancing around.

“Yep!” Snatcher beamed cheerfully. “They’re no longer trapped in ice. They can move on or join the village. Moonboy, you okay?”

Moonjumper pulled his glance away from the golden moon. His chest heaved from a sigh.

Hattie felt his sigh and craned her neck towards the moon.

“If everyone’s free, should we let Vanessa out?” Hattie offered.

“Are you serious?” Snatcher hissed, recoiling from both of them. Though, hesitation flicked in his golden eyes and Moonjumper looked down.

“Has she ever tried to leave the manor before?” Hattie asked and then quickly added, “besides going into the moon.”

“She can’t get across the bridge,” Snatcher muttered. “I made sure there’s magic in place to keep her back. What do you want, Moonboy. Do you want to let her back out?”

Moonjumper looked from Hattie to Snatcher. What did he want?

What _did_ he want?

He wanted to be with Hattie and Snatcher. He wanted to never see Vanessa again. But he also… couldn’t forget the better moments between them. He had once loved Vanessa like the sun. So long as she wasn’t a danger to anyone, he wanted to let her go back to the manor.

He nodded to answer Snatcher’s question.

“How’d I get stuck with a couple of softies,” Snatcher huffed. Though, he seemed somewhat relieved too. “Alright, let’s pack it up. Once we’re over the bridge you can free her. Can you do it from down here?”

Moonjumper nodded slowly. He thought he could at least.

“Once you free her,” Hattie said as Moonjumper scooped her up, “Do you want to come see my spaceship?”

Moonjumper agreed, his lips aching with the smile. Getting out of the forest for a bit sounded good, and he felt Hattie knew he needed some distance.

“I’ll join you two later,” Snatcher chimed in as they fled the manor. “I’ll make sure the ice queen can’t do any damage and get the dwellers who want to sign contracts taken care of.”

Moonjumper hugged Hattie as they flew.

Once they reached the hollowed tree and Snatcher lingered while Moonjumper willed the threads to release Vanessa, a cool air returned to the forest, but the storm clouds remained secluded over the manor. Moonjumper slumped, suddenly exhausted and Hattie brought him up to the spaceship.

She led him around the living room, giving him a brief explanation of where the different doors led. She seemed to want to show him more but when his tunic dragged against the ground, she pulled him towards the bedroom.

Grabbing a book with a girl dressed as a detective on the cover, she pushed Moonjumper over onto the pillow pile and snuggled into the crook of his arm. She declared that she would read him a bedtime story so he could sleep. Moonjumper, warmed at the thought, settled into the pillows.

Sometime during her reading, he felt comfortable enough to remove his mask. Even later, Hattie started to doze as she read and soon, she was sleeping soundly against his chest. Moonjumper removed her hat and brushed his hands through her hair. While he was tired, he wasn’t quite comfortable with the idea of sleeping yet.

If he was being honest, he was scared the moment he closed his eyes, he would wake up in the moon prison.

Snatcher eventually floated lazily into the bedroom, finding the two on the pillow pile. Without a word, Snatcher slunk fluidly over and Moonjumper leaned forward as Snatcher curled around them, letting his tail drape over Hattie.

“Looks like we still need to work on those lips of yours,” Snatcher whispered.

Moonjumper leaned back, a little surprised how soft his shadowy counterpart was. Shrugging, he looked down as he started brushing his fingers through Hattie’s hair again. She shifted in her sleep and nuzzled deeper into his chest.

“Don’t worry about it too much.” Snatcher pulled up a mound of pillows to shape into a comfortable recline. “I take it you realize why the threads listened to you, right?”

Moonjumper nodded, holding out his hand and summoning a small thread. The curse was supposed to be fashioned with the caster’s blood. But having thought back, it wasn’t Vanessa’s blood that had stained her hands when the prince split into two. And Snatcher seemed to remember that as well.

Moonjumper and Snatcher eyed the yarn that gently rose from Moonjumper’s palm. It was thread spun from their blood. Blood that pulsed from a heart that loved and a heart that would continue to love. That, Moonjumper marveled with a new warmth in his core, was enough.

“If there’s one thing, this kid taught me,” Snatcher muttered as the tip of his tail curled next to her on Moonjumper’s chest, providing a gentle warmth, “it’s that we’re going to be okay. Now, get some rest. I’m not going to let anything hurt you two.”

Moonjumper gave Snatcher a small smirk. Snatcher huffed.

“If you’re going to be like that though…” he started to pull his tail away. Moonjumper reached out and gently pulled his tail back, soaking in the warmth. Snatcher snorted. “Yeah that’s what I thought, Moonboy.”

Moonjumper settled into place, wedged comfortably between Snatcher’s warmth, soft pillows, and Hattie’s love. He closed his eyes and felt safe for the first time in all his afterlife.

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes a family can be two halves of one whole dad and their daughter and I think that's beautiful. And, the title is a promise. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed! This was a big one that wrapped up a lot of plot threads (ha) but we still got a little more coming! Thanks so much for reading and please let me know what you think!


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